Rib knitting machine and method of knitting thereon



F. BONSER Oct. '28,; 1947;

I RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEREON Filed July 10, 1944 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 28,1947. I EBQNSER I 2,429,796

RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEREON Filed July 10. 1944 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor F. BONSER Fiied July 10, .1944

9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 28,1947. j FTBQNSE 2,4 ,7

' RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING TN 'REoN Filed July 10,1944 9 SheetsSheet 4 Oct 28, 1947. EBONSER I 7 2,429,796

RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF'KNI-TTING THEREON Filed July 10, 1944 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 cub/02R I abu. 7 m

Inventor W 5m Oct. 28, 1947.

' F. BONSER RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEREON 9 Sheets-Shee t 7 Filed July 10, 1944 Oct. 28; 1947.

F. BONSER' RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEREON Fild July 10, 1944 9 Sheets-Sheet. 8

Oct. 28, 1947. F, .BONSER v 2,429,796

' RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEREON Filed July 10, 1944 I 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Inventor Patenteci Oct. 28, 1947 RIB KNITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF KNITTING THEE-EON Frank Bonser, Hucknall, England, assignor to Interlock Patents Limited, Hucknall, England Application July 10, 1944, Serial No. 544,163 In Great Britain April 15, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946. Patent expires April 15, 1963 9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in rib knitted fabrics and the method of producing the same. The expression rib knitted fabrics used herein where the context so permits includes interlock fabric. Interlock fabric means and includes two ribbed webs with crossed sinker bars, the needle wales of one web being disposed in the spaces between the needle wales of the other web.

The expression ribbed knitted fabrics used herein where the context so permits also means and includes fancy fabrics produced on machines with tWo sets of needles drawing their loops in opposite directions and means and includes fabrics and garments of a composite nature in so far as they are partly rib knitted and partly nonrib or plain knitted.

An object of the invention is to provide new or improved rib knitted fabrics in which all or some of the loops are locked or tied in the manner described and claimed in the specifications of U. S. Letters Patent Nos, 1,894,319 and 1,960,961, another object of the invention is to provide new or improved means for producing rib knitted fabrics locked or tied in the said manner. Another important and specific object of. the invention is to provide in a knitting machine new or improved means for controlling and in particular segregating knitted loops and/or bights of yarn on the needles or selected thereof.

Viewed from one aspect the present invention provides a rib knitted fabric not being an interlock fabric in which during each course or selected courses the knitted loops or predetermined or selected thereof of both faces of the fabric are formed from the same yarn or yarns and each such loop is locked in manner described by the same locking yarn, or yarns.

Viewed from another aspect the invention consists in the production of a rib knitted fabric in which the loops drawn in one sense (say the dial loops) are locked by one looking thread in manner described, the loops drawn in the opposite sense (say the cylinder loops) are locked in same manner by another locking thread and each looking thread intermediate the successive loops locked thereby extends as a bar.

A feature of the present invention consists in the provision in a knitting machine of a rod, wire or the like located in proximity to the shank of one or more needles and lying substantially at right angles to the general direction of the movement of the needles as they are projected and retracted, which rod or wire functions to engage with threads or loops laid or formed on the shank for the purpose of controlling the same.

Another feature of the invention consists in a method of producing rib knitted fabric in which during each course or selected courses knitted loops or predetermined or selected thereof on both faces of. the fabrics are formed from the same yarn or yarns and the loops of both faces are locked in manner described by the same looking yarn or different yarns and in which during certain phases of the knitting process the loops of ground thread and loops of locking thread on the needles of one bed are maintained in spaced relationship by a length of wire or the like positioned between the needles of the two beds.

In order that the nature of the invention may be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figures 1 to 7 are schematic views illustrating one method of manufacturing rib knitted fabric in which the knitted loops are locked in the manner referred to above.

Figure 8 is a fragmental front elevational view of a 1 and 1 rib knitting machine showing the feeding of the locking thread.

Figures 8a and 81) show respectively a suitable lay-out of the dial and cylinder locking cams for use in the production of the fabric illustrated in Figure 10.

Figure 9 is a fragmental plan view of the machine illustrating the knitting of the locking thread.

Figure 10 is a fragmental view of a 1 and 1 rib fabric in accordance with this invention.

Figure 11 is a fragmental view of a modified type of rib fabric in accordance with this invention.

Figures 12 and 12a are respectively fragmental front and plan views of a circular rib knitting machine illustrating the movement. of the needles during one phase of knitting the fabric shown in Fig. 11.

Figures 13 and 130. are similar views showing another phase.

Figures 14 and 14a are similar views showing a third phase.

Figures 15, 16, 1'7, 18, 19 and 20 illustrate phases in the movement of the dial needles during the knitting of the fabric shown in Fig. 11.

Figures 21 and 22 respectively show a suitable lay-out of the dial and cylinder cams for each feed for knitting the fabric of Fig. '11.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention a method of producing fabrics on a 1 and 1 circular rib knitting machine of the dial and cylinder type will now be described by Way of example. The invention is not of course limited to the manufacture of a 1 and 1 rib knitted fabric, since any desired rib combination including interlock and interlock type of fabric may be produced.

In the embodiments about to be described the machine is of the stationary cam type; that is to say the cylinder and dial of the machine are formed with tricks in which the needles are l cated and such needles are formed with butts on their shanks and these butts co-operate with fixed cams to advance and retract the needles sequentially and individually in their tricks; the needles may of course be actuated through jacks if desired. The invention can also be ap lied to machines of the type in which the cams are actuated to move relatively to the needles.

In the drawings two fabrics produced in accordance with this invention are illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. Both fabrics are 1 and 1 rib fabrics in which all the knitted loops are locked in manner described but in the one fabric (Fig. 10) a single locking thread is employed Whereas in the other fabric (Fig. 11) the dial loops are locked by one thread and the cylinder loops are locked by another thread.

It will however be understood that these two fabrics are described by way of example and the invention is in no way limited to the manufacture of these specific fabrics. Furthermore, by the use of known or approved patterning mechanism different effects can be obtained and, if desired, only predetermined or selected loops may be locked in the manner outlined.

In carrying the invention into effect it is preferred to use double latch needles of the type described in and functioning in the manner detailed in the following U. S. patents inter alia: Nos. 2,056,686 and 2,076,910, and for this purpose in the production of each course incorporating locked loops 2. ground thread and a locking thread or plurality of locking threads are fed to the needles sequentially.

In the drawings like reference are assigned to like parts; the cylinder needles are indicated at l with upper and lower latches la, lb and the dial needles are indicated at 2 with upper and lower latches 2a, 2b. 9 is the ground thread and c, 0 are looking threads. 3 is a short length of wire positioned immediately behind the cylinder needles and immediately below the dial needles. If the machine is a multi-feed machine there will be a short length of wire 3 at each operative looking thread feed. At each operative feed the ground thread is fed to the cylinder and dial needles and is knitted thereby to form a 1 and 1 rib fabric in known manner. As the dial and cylinder needles retract to knock over their loops they will then occupy the relative positions indicated at A in Figs. 8 and 9. For the reason that any known or customary method of feeding the ground thread may be employed and the manner of knitting same follows customary practice this phase in the operation is not illustrated in the drawings,

Referring nov to the manufacture of the fabric illustrated in igure 10, after the ground thread has been knitted the needles pass to the locking thread feeder Cl which as shown in Fig. 8 is preferably adjustably mounted on the-dial cap 5. This feeder may be of known or approved type and the locking thread 0, drawn from a convenient source and suitably tensioned, is fed to the hooks of the dial needles. Located between the ground and locking thread feeder is a steel wire 3 anchored in a bracket 7 removably fixed to the dial cap 5. The wire extends downwardly from the member 1 to a position immediately below the base of the tricks of the dial needles and immediately behind the base of the tricks of the cylinder needles and because between the position A and the member 1 both cylinder and dial needles are fully retracted the wire 3 does not foul such needles nor in any way interfere with the working of the machine; at this position the wire serves no useful purpose, but it is important to note that it is introduced into the machine in such manner that the ground loops on the cylinder needles are below it, and the ground loops on the dial needles are behind it. After passing the position A the cylinder needles rise at B so that the ground loops open and pass beyond the upper latches la; the cylinder needles then fall at C to locate the ground loops on the shanks of the cylinder needles between the two latches, and thereafter the needles rise at D so that the ground loops open the lower latches lb and the ground loops are positioned on the shanks of the needles below both latches, each of which has been opened in manner described. Whilst the cylinder needles are functioning in this manner the dial needles are advanced at C to cause the ground loops thereon open but not pass beyond the latches 2a and such latches open on to latches 2b if the latter latches have not themselves been opened by the advance of the dial needles, and in this position which is shown in Fig. l the dial needles are in position to receive the locking thread 0, and from a consideration of this figure it will be clearly seen that theopen hook of the dial needle is advanced beyond the shank of the cylinder needle at a position intermediate the two latches la, lb of adjacent cylinder needles. It is with the needles in this position that they pass to the locking thread feeder and after such thread has been laid'in the hooks of the dial needles the dial needles are retracted at E to occupy the position shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen that in this position the ground loop g is on the cylinder needle below the latch lb and the locking loop is looped around the cylinder needle shank between the latches la, lb. The cylinder needles now descend at F causing the locking loop to lock the ground loop in known manner, and Fig. 3 shows the position in which the locking loop has been knocked over the cylinder needle and has locked the loop of ground thread. Whilst the ground loops on the cylinder needles are being locked in this manner the dial needles are advanced as shown in Figure 3 and the locking loops extend from the locked loop on the cylinder needle to the hook of the dial needle and such locking loops are positioned to the front of the Wire 3 whilst the loops of ground thread on the dial needles still remain to the rear of such wire.

It willbe appreciated that whilst the cylinder ground loops are being locked by the locking thread such loops and thread are segregated by virtue of the fact that the locking thread is held in the hook of the dial needles. After the cylinder ground loops have been lockedin manner described it is essential that the ground loops and locking thread on the dial needles shall be segregated during the process of locking such loops since it will be readily appreciated that unless this is done the said loops and thread will unite and thereafter separation will be impossible. This desideratuin is achieved by use of'the wire 3 which effectively segregates the ground loops and locking thread in the dial needles during the initial stages in the process of locking such loops by such thread.

It is now imperative to ensure that both latches 2a., 2b are opened and for this purpose the dial needles are further advanced as at G beyond the position shown in Fig. 4 until the locking thread rides over latch 2a on to latch 21), the needles are then retraced as at H causing the locking thread to close latch 2a slightly and ride 01f latch 21) on to the shank 2 and are then advanced as at J so that the locking thread opens latch 2b and the ground loop rides off such latch on to the shank 2, the locking thread remaining positioned on the needle shank between the two open latches as is clearly shown in Fig. 5; it will be seen from this figure that the rod 3 still continues to separate ground loop and locking thread. The dial needles now retract as at K and the ground loop closes latch 21) on to 2a and eventually rides into the hook of the needle and it is at this position that the wire terminates for it has served its function in maintaining the ground and locking loops separate until they are in the position stated and as the dial needles continue to retract the locking loops are knocked over and lock the loops of ground thread in known manner. The final steps in the movement of retraction of the dial needles are shown in Fig. 6 and in Fig. '7. The loops of ground thread on both sets of needles have now been laid and locked and the course completed. The needles are now advanced to take ground thread at the next feed and the cycle of movement is repeated.

Referring now'to the fabric illustrated in Fig. 11 it will be seen that the cylinder loops are locked by one locking thread 0 and the dial loops are locked by a locking thread 0 The ground thread is knitted in normal manner and after the loops have been knocked over (the disposition of the needles and wire 3 being the same as at A in Figs. 8 and 9), the needles pass to the feeder for the locking thread 0 This position is shown in Figures 12 and 12a from which it will be seen that the locking thread is laid across the shanks of the cylinder needles between the upper and lower latches both of which are open and in the hooks of the dial needles. The dial needles retract retaining the locking thread and the cylinder needles descend so that the loops of locking thread embraced by such latter needles are knocked over to lock the loops of ground thread on the cylinder needles which looked loops are at the end of this phase of movement in the hooks of the cylinder needles. In the hooks of the dial needles there are the loops of ground thread which are located to the rear of the wire 3 and the loops of locking thread 0 which are to the front of such wire; the feed of thread c to the dial needles and the relative position of threads is clearly shown in Figs. 12, 12a, 15 and 16.

The needles now pass to the position shown in Figs. 13, 13a and 17 to receive the second locking thread 0 The dial needles are advanced so that loops 0 and g separated by wire 3 are located between the open front and rear latches and thread 0 is fed into the hooks of the dial and cylinder needles (which latter needles are raised as shown). The dial needles now retract as shown in Fig. 18 and the cylinder needles fall so that the loops 0 are cast oif the dial needles and the front latches ofsuch needles are closed over the loops 0 whilst the loops 9 are retained and separated from loops 0 by the wire 3. In the hooks of the cylinder needles there are retained v tween bars M and the dial loops.

the loops of ground thread g locked by the locking loops 0 and the loops of thread 0 The next phase is to lock the dial loops of ground thread g by the locking thread 0 and during this phase the cylinder needles are maintained below the dial needles and are inoperative. To lock the dial loops by thread 0 the dial needles are actuated in manner previously described with reference to the production of fabric illustrated in Fig. 10, to locate the loop 0 between the two open latches and loop 9 (still separated from c by wire 3) beyond the rear latch on the needle shank; this position is shown in Fig. 19. The needles are now retracted to the position shown in Fig. 20, which shows the ground loop g retained in the needle hook and the locking loop 0 being cast oif to lock loop g.'

The locking of the cylinder loops by thread 0 and the locking of the dial loops by thread c has now been completed and the needles now move to the next feeder to take ground thread and knit a 1 and 1 rib fabric in normal manner, it being appreciated that the loops of thread 0 in the hooks of the cylinder needles will be cast off as the needles knock over to form the next course of ground loops and will be trapped in the fabric as clearly shown at M in Fig. 11. From this figure it will be seen that the locking threads intermediate successive ground loops locked thereby are disposed as bars, the bars of locking thread 0 being indicated at N and the bars of locking thread 0 (trapped at M) being indicated at P the bars N lie behind the bars M be- The wire 3 is introduced as preiously described with reference to Figure 8 at a position immediately prior to the feeding of locking thread 0 and extends to a position whereat the ground loops are in the hooks of the dial needles and the loops c are about to be knocked over such needles (Fig. 20) If the machine is a multi-feed machine there will be a separate wire as described between successive ground thread feeders.

It will of course be appreciated that instead of first locking the cylinder loops and causing the dial needles to cast off the locking thread 0 the dial loops could if desired be first locked and if this course is followed the loops of thread locking the dial loops may be cast off by the cylinder needles before the cylinder loops are locked or may be retained on the cylinder needles until the next course of ground loops are formed. Irrespective of which set of loops are first looked the connecting bars of locking thread may be as at N or M as desired or any combination of the two types of such bars may be used.

It will be well appreciated by those skilled in the art that if interlock and interlock types of fabric are to be produced in accordance with the invention the needles of the machine will be divided into two sets one set comprising the odd dial and even cylinder needles and the other set comprising the even dial and odd cylinder needles. Numerous different sequences of knitting may be employed. For example at one feed the first set of needles knit ground threads and the ground loops so formed are then locked in manner previously described and the second set of needles then knit ground threads and the loops formed on the second set of needles are then looked. In an alternative method the first set knits then the second set knits then the loops of the first set are locked and finally the loops of the second set are locked. In all cases an instrumentality such as the wire 3 is associated with 7. each locking thread feed functioning in manner described and the dial and cylinder loops both sets may be locked by the same thread as described with reference to Figure 10 or by different threads as described with reference to Figure 11. In the further alternative at predetermined feeds the dial and cylinder loops are locked by the same thread-and at other feed they are locked by different threads.

Both in the production of riband interlock fabrics spaced course of unlocked loops may be formed as desired or as previously stated only selected loops may be locked by the employment of selecting or patterning mechanism.

The invention is not, however, limited in its application to the production of locked fabrics and the wire may be utilised for controlling plating or tucking threads and generally for the controlling and separation of yarns and loops in knitting processes for the production of new or. improved effects. The wire 3 may be of round, square, flat or other desired section or its cross sectional shape and/r area may vary along its length.

I claim:

1. A method of producing, on a machine havme two beds of double latch needles, knitted fabric embodying ground loops on both faces if the fabric formed from the same ground yarn or yarns, which consistsin feeding locking thread to the needles of each bed, locking ground loops in each face of the fabric in the manner described by the same locking yarn or yarns and during certain phases in the knitting process maintaining the loops of ground thread and the loops of locking threadon the needles of 'one bed in spaced relationship by a length of wire or the like positioned between the needles of the two beds.

2. A method of producing rib knitted fabric in which the loops or predetermined thereof are locked in manner described by the employment of double latch needles which consists in first knitting the ground loops on both sets of needles in normal manner then laying a locking thread in the hooks of the needles of one set and between the two open latches of the needles of the other set retaining such loops in said'ho'oks whilst the second set of needles are actuated so that the locking thread locks the ground loops thereon and then actuating the first'set of needles to lock the ground loops thereon with said locking thread. I

3. A method according to claim 2 in which prior to the locking thread being knocked over the first set of needles said thread issegregated from the ground loops on said needles by an instrumentality such as wire positioned in close proximity to said needles.

4. A method of producing rib knitted fabric in which the loops or predetermined thereof are locked in manner described by the employment of double latch needles which consists in first knitting the ground loops on both sets of needles in normal manner then laying a locking thread in the hooks of the needles of one set and between the two open latches of the needles of the other set retaining such loops in said hooks whilst the second set of needles are actuated so that the locking thread locks the ground loops thereon then advancing the first set of needles so that the first locking thread is behind the first latch, laying a second locking thread in the hooks of both needles, casting off the first locking thread from the needles of the first set and actuating such needles to cause the second locking thread to lock the ground loops thereon and retaining the second locking thread on the needles of the other set to be cast ofi when the next course of ground loops is formed thereon.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which the ground loops on the first set of needles and the second locking thread are segregated by an instrumentality such as a wire located in close prox imity to said needles.

'6. A circular rib knitting machine having double latch needles in each bed, and organized for the production of knitted fabric embodying ground loops which are locked in the manner described, means for feeding a locking thread to the needle of each bed, the said locking thread being fed into the hooks of the needles of one bed and between the two latches of the needles of the other bed, and an instrumentality such as a wire positioned in close proximity to the needles of the first mentioned bed for the purpose of segregating the locking thread from the ground lcops of the fabric on the needles of the first mentioned bed during certain phases in the knitting process.

7. A machine according to claim 6 in which said wire is introduced between the two needle beds at a position Whereat the needles of both beds are retracted.

3. A machine according to claim 6 being a multi-feed machine and having a wire for each of the predetermined operative feeds.

9. A machine according to claim 6 being a muiti-feed machine and having a, wire for each of the predetermined operative feeds, said wire being'introduced between the two needle beds at a position whereat the needles of both beds are-retracted.

FRANK BONSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

